Blood Bound, Spirit Sacrifice
by FarewellfromFaith
Summary: Team Fairy Tail are on an everyday mission, this time to bring down a human trafficking ring. While they are there, they run into a guild of six people, and are launched into a quest to save the world as we know it.
1. An Unwanted Meeting

**...Chapter One: An Unwanted Meeting...**

Things were finally back to normal in Magnolia. The core members of Fairy Tail were home after their lost seven years, the guild was back on top, and the Fairy Tail mages were being... Fairy Tail mages. Lucy was hitting her head on one of the tables, Cana was drinking the guild dry, Gajeel was glaring at everyone, Natsu and Gray were standing nose to nose, Juvia was daydreaming about Gray, and Erza was attempting to ignore them while reading the request board. One in particular caught her eye. _Strange. I'll need help for this one..._

"Natsu, Gray, stop arguing, Lucy, quit hitting your head or you'll lose brain cells. We have a job to do."

The three members of the team jumped and swarmed around the S-rank mage. "Oh, what is it this time? Another diner? Rescuing a princess? Oh, oh, taking down a Dark guild?" as he spoke, Natsu got more and more excited, bouncing on his heels like someone much younger.

"Not this time. Read the request."

_Help wanted!_

_Female mages from across the world have gone missing, supposedly abducted by slave traders._

_Powerful magic most likely involved. Great caution required._

_Immediate response needed. Reward of 1,000,000 jewels._

"One million jewels! I'm in!" shouted Lucy.

"Kidnapping?" said Gray.

"Powerful magic, huh?" said Natsu, cracking his knuckles.

"What are you all drooling over?" asked Gajeel.

"Just a really, really well-paying job." answered Erza, handing him the flyer.

He read it over, eyes narrowing as he finished. "This sounds pretty serious. How did we not hear about this sooner?"

"Maybe it went to another guild or two before us?" said Lucy.

"That's possible. But, if it did, and they failed, we have to face this with trepidation. Gajeel, I'm guessing you're tagging along?" he nodded, Pantherlily beside him. "Juvia, are you coming as well?" she sprinted to the others before Erza had finished speaking. Erza gave the team a once-over, then said, "We're missing someone. Where's Wendy?"

"Right here!" The small girl raced down the steps, nearly tripping over her own feet, Carla floating a foot away from her head.

"Aye, and you can't forget about me!" Happy spiraled past the two, landing next to Natsu.

"Looks like everyone is here." said Erza, giving the team a complimentary once-over. She then walked to where Mirajane was behind the bar.

"Leaving already?" asked Mirajane when Erza handed her the job slip.

"It would seem so. This mission needs immediate attention."

"Well, then." Mirajane then attempted to hand the slip back to Erza.

"What? Is it already taken?"

"No, no, that's not it at all. The map is printed on the back."

"...Oh." Erza took the slip back and led the way to the train station.

* * *

><p>"Oi, Angel! Any idea why we're going after a human trafficking ring?" demanded Racer. The female mage shrugged.<p>

"Not really, just that Midnight knows of someone very important who is going to be sold at the next auction."

As she stopped speaking, their Guild Master walked out the entry-way of the tavern they had "borrowed" a room in. "I've been getting a strange dream that those peons have captured a powerful female mage, so we are going to liberate her, and hope she joins our cause."

"So... like a premonition?" asked Racer.

"Something like that."

"D'you know what she looks like, so we know her when we see her?"

Midnight traipsed into his memories, "She's tall, at least 5'6", has long black and silver hair, and dark, purple and blue eyes."

"Black and silver hair? Kinda sounds like she could be your sister."

"It does, but she isn't." At this, the Guild master spun on his heel, making his way down a little-used, over-grown path through the dense forest, in the direction of the next town over. The other three members of the guild sprinted out the door, so as to not be left behind. Racer and Angel exchanged a dry look, then followed at a slower pace.

* * *

><p>"Ugghh, have we stopped moving yet?" groaned Natsu, stumbling down the dirt road to their new destination, the port town of Cedar.<p>

"We got off of the train almost half an hour ago..." remarked Lucy. The road wound through a dense forest, the late summer afternoon sunlight filtering through the maple leaves, casting emerald-green shadows on the underbrush. The wind picked up, and Erza caught a whiff of the vast ocean. The breeze ruffled the wildflowers on the path, filling the air with their rich scent. After another ten minutes of near silence, the treeline opened, revealing a crescent-shaped port, surrounded by a beautiful town with buildings painted every color imaginable.

"Alright, first we have to meet up with the informant who sent the request, then wait until dark for the auction to take place." said Erza, who had taken the leadership position, with little objection.

"Okay, so where are we meeting this informant?" asked Gajeel.

"A tavern near the main dock, named the Velvet Rose."

"Ooookay, so... how do we get there?" asked Lucy, dubious.

"It's at the end of the main road through the town, which we are on now." said Erza.

"Alright then, let's go! I want to meet these powerful mages as soon as possible!" shouted Natsu, already running down the slope of the hill leading to the town, Happy flying close behind.

"We might as well follow him." harrumphed Carla. The other mages shrugged, then walked/slid down the side of the hill. Natsu waited in the valley at the bottom, and, with the team all together, they casually strolled in to the port town, making their way to the tavern in question. When they finally saw the ornate sign of a red rose on a black background, the sun was setting over the coast.

"This is it. The informant should be waiting inside at the back." said Erza, already opening the heavy wooden door. The tavern was filled with firelight and laughter, the smell of expensive alcohol permeating the wood interior. The mages and Exceed were pulled into brief conversations as they searched for someone who could be the informant. They got a break when Natsu, Lucy, and Happy spotted a tall man not eating or drinking anything, and attempting to blend into the tapestry, glancing around the room nervously. Natsu motioned to the others with a nod, and they went to the back booth the man was sitting at.

"I'm assuming you are the one who sent this to Fairy Tail." asked Erza.

The man jumped, glanced around the room once more, and motioned to the booth seats surrounding him. "I'm really not supposed to be here, but I had to tell someone about this. The group who is doing these horrible things used to be a legal, merchant marine guild. But that stopped making as much, and they resorted to assisting the human trafficking from Bosco."

"Bosco? Isn't that the place Bora was headed to before I defeated him, Lucy?"

"That's it. Wait, how did you know about this? You are a member, aren't you?"

The man flinched again. "Yes, I am. I'm telling you this because I miss the old days, going from port to port, having a good time, and not having to look over our shoulders everywhere we go. You have to believe me, this is not what I want to be doing to make a living." He was starting to sound frantic.

"Calm down, we believe you. Where is the auction taking place?"

The man, who they still did not know the name of, looked out the large bay windows next to the door, and said, "It's dark now, I'll take you there."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Midnight, when is this thing actually gonna happen?" demanded Racer.<p>

"As soon as it get dark. Which is in... half an hour or so." They were gathered with about four dozen mages, mostly males, in a large forest clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees, and a low stage constructed in the center. Another, walled structure was behind it, no doubt with the kidnapped women inside. The mages mulling around the clearing were each sleazier looking than the last, with heavy jewelry and outlandish clothing. Some of it was so obviously fake, it was a wonder how none of the others commented on it. As Midnight was questioning the validity of one of the few women's opal necklace, a tall man with long dreads and a worn vest stepped onto the stage. He clapped his hands to get the attention of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you are all tired of waiting, so let us begin the main event. Please bring out the first girl." He waved to another man, who led a young woman with short, dirty-blonde hair, and stood at 5'0", up to the stage. "Now, this one is from a small, northern village, and is an intermediate level ice-magic user. She isn't much of a fighter, but can get pretty wild, if you know what I mean." He winked lewdly to the crowd, who laughed and cat-called. "The bidding will start at... 500 jewels!" And so it went, until the sale ended at 1,000 jewels. _This is even worse than I thought. This is the sex trade!_

"Is that the girl you were looking for?" whispered Cobra.

"Not even close. We'll just have to wait." Midnight mumbled back. The bidding war continued for two hours, consisting of thirteen other girls, getting more powerful, and better looking, with each mage.

"And now, the prize of the lot. A mage more powerful than anything you have seen... And more beautiful than you could dream... Bring her out, men!" Two more of the slave traders walked out from behind the second structure, each holding the arm of a struggling ravenette, who had a power-cancelling choker around her slim throat. They weren't making much progress, and, giving up, picked her up off the ground. She tried to break loose, kicking out at her captors. They set her down on the center of the stage, and the man on the left pulled out a short staff with a yellow lacrima on the end. When it touched the woman's skin, a bolt of electricity passed through her body, immobilizing her. She went slack, and the man on the right pulled her face up by her hair. She panted, obviously in pain. When Midnight saw her delicate features, he nearly snarled in anger. Her left eye had a large, nearly black bruise under it, her eyes and cheeks were sunken in, and an open cut ran the length of her right cheek-bone. Her wide eyes scanned the crowd, settling on Midnight. Her eyes, if possible, widened further. _You're here! Help me, please!_

* * *

><p>The team from Fairy Tail walked swiftly through the rapidly darkening forest, hoping they would reach the location in time.<p>

"We're almost there!" shouted their guide, who had named himself as Jackson, running further down the path. When he reached an opening in the tree cover, he moaned, "Oh, no. It's almost over! We're too late!"

They ran to reach Jackson, and saw a wide clearing with a crowd of people, a stage with three men standing on it, and a woman on her knees held by two of them, the right one pulling her long, black and white hair back.

"And finally, we'll start the bidding at... 2,000 jewels!"

"I don't think so! This auction is over!" yelled Erza, drawing her short-sword. The mages assumed battle stances, calling on their magic. The crowd screamed and ran, some dragging girls behind them by chains. The slave-traders grabbed the now struggling woman, pulling her after them into the woods. As the crowd dispersed, the Fairy Tail mages saw six all too familiar faces. "Oracion Sies?" Erza growled. The mages slowly approached the Dark Guild, who stayed motionless.

"We aren't here to fight..." said Midnight, backing up ever-so slightly.

"Well, we are." ground out Natsu. Before they could blink, the Dark mages had disappeared. Growling, Natsu sprinted into the forest. The others rolled their eyes and ran after their hot-headed comrade. They couldn't quite catch up to him, but followed close behind. They all froze in their tracks when they saw a head of wild, black and silver curls sprint in the direction they were coming from, then collide with Gajeel with a resounding _Clang!_

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's a new story I'll be working on! If you read my other story, Silver Rain, Crimson Snow, I'm sorry, but I still have writers block. Hopefully I can get back to writing that one soon. Please leave a review on how I can improve this! And, no, I will not be using the same OC as in SR,CS, they just look a little similar. Loves to ya all!<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor do I own it's characters!**


	2. The Fairy, The Snake, and The Duckling

_**...Chapter Two: The Fairy, The Snake, and The Duckling..**_ **(Please read A/N at bottom for contest!)**

To be perfectly honest with you, I had never expected the salt-and-pepper haired man to show up. I had sent him as many dream messages as I could handle with the choker on, but that wasn't a guarantee he would actually come to rescue me... At least, that's what I hoped he was here for.

And it was all going so well, until that redhead with more bust than brains scared everyone to high hell and back, and that pink haired idiot challenged the small guild. My captors, the slave traders of the ship _Quintana, _started dragging my semi-conscious body down the steep steps attached to the stage, and into the woods beyond. The man with dreadlocks, Kai, held onto the choker, causing it to, well, choke me. I stumbled along after him, my bare feet finding each and every sharp stone and twig scattering the forest floor. Some time in the last twenty minutes, the cut on my cheek had reopened, and blood trickled down the right side of my neck. My left eye had swollen shut, while my right worked overtime to find an escape route. While I was contemplating simply kicking Kai in the face, I heard a faint crackling. My torturer heard it as well, and tightened his grip, right as the choker crumbled to dust.

A black-as-pitch, shadow-like human form solidified in front of where we were running. _"Run."_

Recognizing the deep voice, I took it's advice and sprinted with all I had, which was just barely enough to get away, my ragged clothes snapping in the wind. I honestly had no idea where I was running, and just went where ever there was a clear enough path for me to not trip on my own feet. I could feel my magic slowly trickling back into my body, like the pins-and-needles sensation one experiences after being in the cold for too long. As I was thinking how I would find the salt-and-pepper haired man, who I nicknamed SNP, I ran face-first into something rather solid.

_Clang! _I went down on the cold, wet ground, landing flat on my bum. "Aw, c'mon!" I growled, glaring up at the man I had ran into. I had to admit his piercings were impressive. He glared back with a fiery vengeance, which I found ironic considering the pink-haired one in the group was the one I had seen with fire abilities. My annoyance deepened when the redhead held out a hand.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

I swatted her hand away, "I would have been, if you hadn't barged in!" I shakily pulled myself to my feet and brushed off what little dirt I could from my filthy cargo pants. My long tee-shirt was in even worse condition, but I couldn't care less.

The blonde, who looked considerably less hostile than the others, placed a hand on my elbow, "Hey, don't strain yourself. You don't have to worry about us, we really were trying to help, we just got here a little too late. Would you like a set of clean clothes?" She said this all with a calm smile. I instantly like her.

I returned her smile wholeheartedly, probably lessened by the blood crusting on my cheek, "That would be beyond lovely."

"Well, great! We can get you a little cleaned up at the same time. By the way, I'm Lucy!"

My smile fell ever-so-slightly before I got my expression back under control, "It's truly very nice to meet you, Lucy." Her hand moved to my shoulder, gently guiding me to the ground.

* * *

><p>Team Fairy Tail watched in silence as Lucy sat next to the strange woman, cleaning and bandaging her various wounds. When the burn on the ravenette's shoulder was reached, she emitted a rather shrill sound, somewhere between a scream and a gasp. Lucy jumped back slightly.<p>

"I am so, so sorry!"

The ravenette's face was twisted in an expression of agony, one hand over the burn, "No- no, I'm fine, just get it over with." She dropped her hand and turned back to give Lucy better access to her shoulder.

Lucy grabbed an opaque tube out of the first-aid kit, "I was apologizing because I should have used this first." Lucy squeezed a blue glob of something out of the tube and rubbed it into the burn. This time the girl didn't jump ten feet in the air, instead sighing. "It's a mixture of cooling gel and burn ointment, it'll help you heal faster and take the pain away." Lucy stowed the tube back in the kit, grabbing and unwrapping a gauze pad and medical tape as she did so. "Juvia, can you hold this, please?" The blue haired mage did as asked and held the pad in place as Lucy tore off four sections of tape and secured the edges of the gauze to the girl's skin. "So, what's your name?"

The girl froze again, obviously weighing her options, then said, "Catina."

"Well, that's a beautiful name!"

"... Thanks, I guess. Most people don't think so."

"Hmm?" Lucy tipped her head to the side confusedly, but Catina just turned around so Lucy could clean the cut and blood on her face. The blonde shrugged and opened a brown bottle of Hydrogen peroxide, tipped it over onto several cotton balls, and carefully scrubbed away at the dried, rusty smelling blood. When it was all gone, Lucy ran one down the cut on Catina's cheek, earning a hiss of pain as the H2O2 fizzed at the dirt. She then placed a long, white bandage along it to keep anymore filth out. _I really hope that doesn't scar. She's kinda cute... In a non-creepy, girl-crush kinda way._

"There! All done!" Lucy stood up, her knees popping loudly after kneeling for so long. Catina pulled the long-sleeved shirt back up her thin shoulder and stood with Juvia's help. The blue-haired mage was very careful to avoid the places she knew bandages circled her fragile-feeling arms. The girl looked slightly emaciated, like she hadn't been fed in days. Which was an entirely reasonable assumption. "Now, shall we do introductions?"

* * *

><p>"That would be nice." I allowed a hint of sarcasm to work it's way into my voice. The one with the piercings heard it and smirked.<p>

"I'm Gajeel. Not gonna apologize for you runnin' inta me."

"I didn't expect you to."

The redhead, who had been staring at me apathetically since I refused her help, help out her hand again, "I'm the leader of this party, Erza Scarlet." This time, I accepted her hand and shook with only the faintest raise of an eyebrow. It would have been more, but my face hurt. At least the swelling had gone down in my left eye. The blue-haired mage whose name I already knew simply bowed at the waist.

The other black-haired mage, whose hair shone blue in the moonlight and had at some point lost his shirt, nodded politely at me and said, "I'm Gray. Sorry about the trouble we caused you."

"It's fine, really." I replied with a smile. _Was I mistaken, or did Juvia start glaring at me?_

And lastly, the pink-haired fire mage, "And I'm Natsu! Nice ta meetcha!" I couldn't help but laugh at his antics, but the others in his group just rolled their eyes. I hid my laugh by coughing into my sleeve, then grimaced at the smell of it.

"Oh, right! I was gonna get you new clothes!" Lucy exclaimed. She pulled one of the gold keys off the ring on her belt and held it out. _A Celestial Spirit mage?! Impressive..._

"Open the Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" The clearing we were in was filled with dazzling light, and when it dimmed, standing in front of Lucy was a woman of average height, with pink hair and blue eyes, a very serious expression, and wearing a maid's uniform. She bowed while keeping her eyes on Lucy, one arm across her waist.

"How may I assist you, Princess?"

"My new friend needs some new clothes."

I don't know how it happened, but five minutes later I was wearing a new, clean set of clothes. A very nice set of clothes. The shirt was a white halter-top, and was a little low cut for my tastes, left my shoulders uncovered while the rest of my arms were covered up to my mid-upper arm with black fingerless gloves, and I had been given dark blue, skin-tight pants which were some-how very easy to move around in, and black tall, laced boots that reached the top of my knees. On my left thigh in white was the zodiac sign of the Virgin. My hair had been washed, brushed, and pulled back into a high ponytail, the silver streak angling across my left cheekbone, covering my eye.

"Uh... Wow. Thanks. A lot."

"Are they to your liking, Miss?"

"Yeah! These are awesome, thank you!"

"I'm glad." She turned to Lucy. "I will now accept my punishment, Princess."

"Wha- There's no punishment, how many times do I have to say that? Good work, you can go back to the Spirit World now."

"Yes, Princess." The clearing was again filled with bright light, and this time when it faded, the spirit was gone.

"Well, I'm happy you like your new clothes, Catina! Now that that's done, we should find a place for the ni-"

Lucy was interrupted by a loud rustling from the bushes on the North end of the clearing. The mages around me once again readied their magic, Erza pulling a second sword out of the air. They all backed up a step or two when SNP and his guild stumbled out of the underbrush. Erza growled and started her advance, straight for SNP. I moved as fast as I could, skidding to a stop in front of him with my arms held out like the wings of a mother hen protecting her young to stop the small guild from going any farther forward. Erza froze, both swords' razor-sharp tips poised at my throat.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so very, very, VERY sorry for such a long wait. I'll try to not let that happen again. I'm also sorry if parts of this make absolutely no sense, I wrote most of it while under the influence of Versed. That's some strong stuff, man. Before you think I'm doing something illegal, I had dental work today, and I am terrified of dentists, so I have to be sedated. But, that's pretty much the only time I have to write during the school week, so... I've gone off on a tangent... Please leave a review!<br>**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor do I own it's characters!**

**Contest time! The first person to guess the meaning of the title of this chapter get a giftfic one shot for the fandom and pairing of their choosing, as long as I am familiar with it!**

**Rules: **

**1. Sorry, no smut, I like to keep my writing clean.**

**2. I also don't write yaoi or yuri ( I have no problem reading it, just don't like writing it).**


	3. Child Of Shade

_**...Chapter Three: Child of Shade...**_

Erza's blades quivered, less than two inches from the base of Catina's throat. The knight growled under her breath as she stared into the oddly colored eyes of the other woman; the taller woman glared back with fury in her eyes. Catina's expression was carefully blank, only the fierce look she gave Erza showed any emotion.

"What do you think you're doing, Catina?"

"I could ask you the same thing," even her voice was calm and steady.

"I'm trying to protect my friends from dangerous individuals." Erza's voice dropped in pitch.

A brief flicker of anger passed Catina's face, "As am I. Now, if you could please lower your weapons so we can discuss this rationally?" Erza glowered, but did as asked and backed away while slowly lowering her blades. She kept them both drawn, though, just in case. Midnight, the new Guild Master, had been giving Catina an odd look since she called them her friends. The Fairy Tail members looked indignant that Catina had called them dangerous individuals.

Erza glanced from face to face of the members of the Dark Guild, the wounds they dealt to her and most of her companions all too fresh in her memory. Despite this, she knew seven years had passed, and they may have forgotten. Erza shook her head and looked back to her Guild members, seeing the mixture of shock and fear on Lucy's face, Gray's and Natsu's expressions contorted in anger; Gajeel and Juvia looked confused, Gajeel's confusion was mixed with a challenge. Erza's gaze stopped on Wendy. She was watching Catina with an expression of wonder; it was the same look she had given Jellal. The female knight grimaced, turned back to Catina, and said, "Well? Then speak."

* * *

><p>I kept my face devoid of emotion, but was internally screaming in fear. Erza's blades had been mere inches from my throat, and were sharp enough I could hear them singing through the air as she sprinted for SNP. Whose real name I still did not know...<p>

"How about we start with introductions?" I smiled, hoping my tone was agreeable enough. "For my sake?"

The black-haired teen who was currently shirtless said with a brow raised, "Didn't we just tell you our names?" His implication of _Are you an idiot? _was painfully clear.

My lips curled back before I trained my expression back to a smile. A very forced one, mind you, "Not yours." I motioned to the small guild with a nod, "Theirs."

Gajeel stared at me like I had suggested we all go skinny dipping in the middle of winter, "I thought you said they were your friends? Shouldn't you know their names by now?"

The smaller guild had been watching my interaction with the Fairy Tail mages like a slightly interesting sports match. I snickered at their puzzled expressions. "Well... No, not exactly."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry to do this, but I just cannot find the motivation to continue this story. I also can't seem to get back into Fairy Tail at all, so Blood Bound, Spirit Sacrifice will be dropped. If there's anyone who would like to adopt this, please let me know. So, this is the last installment from me. <strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I claim to, own Fairy Tail or its characters.**


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